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In December 2015 appeared ‘Nederland’s Patriciaat 1972-2009. Tweeëndertig jaargangen uitgelicht’ by Dr. Jochem Kroes. This is part XXII in the series 'Werken uitgegeven door het Koninklijk Nederlandsch Genootschap voor Geslacht- en Wapenkunde'.

This work studies 32 annual issues of the Nederland's Patriciaat and analyses the family-, cultural and social-historical ties of 406 notable families in the Netherlands. The population comprises arond 25% of the total of the 1800 Netherlands families in the NP's 100 year history. The Kolff family is often mentioned in this study.

Wednesday 15 October 2014 the streetsign ‘Overste J.M. Kolffstraat’ at Kesteren was revealed by Overste's son Pieter Cornelis, grandson Marius and alderman Hans Keuken. Also present were other family members Kolff and residents of this new street.

Very much to our surprise, not to mention delight, a replica of the house De Drie Colven can now be seen in the Dutch miniature town of Madurodam. In this house lived our ancestor Wouter Kolff (VII - 1579-1635) and his family.

At the 2012 General Assembly the activities of Mariëtte Kolff-Reinders (CBCB
XVIIIp) have been rewarded by appointing her Honorary Member of the Kolff Family Association. Mariëtte has been the driving force behind the start and set up of De Colve, the Family Magazine. Since then she has been editor of De Colve until the 17th issue in 2012 after which she decided to end her activities as one of the editors. The magazine greatly contributes to one of the major goals of the Family Association: to bring relatives, where ever they may live, closer together. Mariëtte's husband Cees was appointed Honorary Member in 2006. Mariëtte is the first female Honorary Member and the first Honorary Member not originally born a Kolff.

Connected to below article and on the occasion of the installation of Wouter Kolff (link to genealogy: at article) as mayor of Veenendaal in November 2012 a list of all Kolffs that have been mayor has been published in De Colve. This list is now also available online at this website.

March 31, 2012, on the island of Wieringen the visitors' centre of the Wieringer Island Museum Jan Lont. was openend. On the occasion of this opening Cees van der Sluis donated a walking stick with silver handle of the late Louis C. Kolff jr. (B XVIf). At this opening Van der Sluijs, who is executeur-testementair of Coby Kolff, see below here, was surprised happily to find out that the museum has a special show-case about the two Mayors Kolff on the island.

November 5, 2011, at The Hague (Muzee, Scheveningen) the first print of the biography of Dirk Hendrik Kolff (B XVIId) has been presented. The title of this biography is 'Driftig van spraak, levendig van gang, herinneringen van marineofficier Dirk Hendrik Kolff (1761-1835)'.
This publication, which is part 110 of the Werken van de Linschoten-Vereeniging, has been made possible by - amoungst others - the Kolff Family Association.

When Coby Kolff (B XVIf2), as the last of the three children of Louis Kolff (B XVIf) died at Zutphen on February 21, 2011, branch B of the Family Kolff died out. Coby was the last of the three children of this branch, earlier Nicoline died in 1998 and after Louis Charles died in 2005. With the death of all of these three children the so called 'blood line' of branch B ended. The Family has always had three major branches A, B, C. Now all we have is A, and C.

Because of the 25th Lustrum on May 15, 2010, the Kolff Family Association donated two trophies for the kolf championships, organized by the KNKB (Royal Netherlands Kolf Union).
Dirk Kolff, (Board), who is about to hand ove the two trophies to the champions, is taking to one of the members of the KNKB Board.

Annemarie and Dirk Kolff (CBCA XVIIn) have just handed out the two trophies, which were made available by the Kolff Family Association, to the kolf champions of 2010. This ceremony took place o May 15, 2010, at Berkhout, in the Dutch province of Noord Holland, on the occasion of 150 years jubilee of the KNKB.

A dandy in the 'Orient', Louis Couperus in Africa

The diary on her voyage to Algeria in 1921 of Ella Kolff-van der Giessen (CBCD XVIv) has been used in the publication 'Een dandy in de Oriënt, Louis Couperus in Afrika' (A dandy in the Orient, Louis Couperus in Africa), by José Buschman (first appeared April, 2009).
José Buschman describes the travels of the famous Dutch writer Louis Couperus to Africa, Algeria and Tunesia, in 1920/1921, using several links - such as Ella's diary - of people that travelled to Algeria in the same period. The family link is, fully within the same CBCD branch: the sister of Ella's spouse Jan was married to a Vlielander Hein, in fact to the son of Couperus' sister. Later, one of Ella and Jan's sons, Jan, marries a daughter Schalkwijk-Vlielander Hein.

Registration for the Family Day 2018 can only be done by regular mail or email. This is due to technical problems. The programme with weblinks is available at this site. The links lead to the Members Only section. You will need your username and password to enter.

Due to his great contributions to the Kolff Family Association Prof.dr. D.H.A. (Dirk) Kolff has been appointed as Honorary Member of the Kolff Family Association. The appointment was done by general agreement at the 88th General Assembly of the Association in 2016.

Images of this Family Day can be seen at the Facebook page of the Association (link: see left column). Image at left: just after Dirk was appointed and where the chairman congratulates Dirk's wife Annemarie (better image to follow).

Earliest generations revised

Research showed that corrections in the earliest generations were necessary. Research was completed in 2014 and in 2015 the General Assembly of the Kolff Family Association agreed to change the genealogy to the currently known details.

Prof.dr. Willem Johan 'Pim' Kolff and his wife Janke Kolff-Huidekoper (CBB XVIIh) have posthumously been honoured in Kampen (Netherlands) by the state of Israel with the Yad Vashem decoration on Monday, October 7, 2013, in Kampen. Willem and Janke are honoured as 'Righteous Amoungst the Nations' for saving the young boy Erik Meijler (1938) during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

Image: Erik Meijler 2nd from right, children of Willem and Janke: Jaap to his right and Adrie to his left, neighbour Wietze Hoekstra far left (courtesy of Willem Kolff Stichting).

Kolff pumps up hourly 2,300m3 water

One of the filters with the changing texts.

"Kolff pumps up hourly 2.300m3 water" is one of the texts shown on the water filters during the open day on October 6, 2012, of Pompstation 'Kolff' at Waardenburg. That day Liesbeth Huijssoon-Kolff (AC XVIe1) visited the Pompstation 'Kolff'at Waardenburg. She was accompanied by Marijke Kolff and Marius Kolff, members of the board of the association. This pumping station has been named after her father Mr. W.M. Kolff (AC XVIe) and she opened it 50 years ago. Last year the pumping station 'Kolff' was cpompletely rebuilt, after which the old one was torn down. A commemorate plate was taken from the old to the new building and found a good place in a wall next to the main entrance.

The Kolffs were recieved warmly and were shown around by project manager
Jan Bart Hartman.

Because of their long time efforts for the Waalwijkse Natuurjeugdwacht three of our family members were decorated in one day (30 September 2012).
Trees Kolff-de Boer (CBCB XVIIq), who earlier already recieved the Lid in de Orde van Oranje Nassau (Member), was now decorated Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau (Knight). Her daughter and son-in-law Anne Marie and Hans van der Marel-de Boer (CBCB XVIIIq) were decorated Lid in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau.

The Waalwijkse Natuurjeugdwacht (Wallwijk Youth Nature Watch) was founded by Trees and her husband and thanks to their efforts, later also those of Anne Marie and Hans, hundreds of children from Waalwijk and surroundings learned to respect and love nature.

From the estate of his parents Marius Kolff (CBCD XVIIIw4) inherited a painting that has been in the family since its creation. Marius thinks it has been comissioned by the firm Goudzwaard & Kolff, a company of his grandfather. The Helvetia ships were part of that company. The painting is by August W. van Voorden. Note that this is the only spot of the Rotterdam area Nieuwe Werk where the damage of the May 1940 bombardment has been so large that almost nothing was left of the buildings. They were all lost after May 1940. In the painting one can see some of the Helvetia's at the Willemsplein quay.

The Netherlands State Archives (Nationaal Archief) helps college
students to do research on 15 prisoners of the 'Oranjehotel' during
the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. This project started April/May
2004. One of these 15 people is Willem Marinus Kolff (AC XVIe), who
was taken away from this prison to a concentration camp in Poland
and who died there.

The Netwerk (a Dutch renown documentary programme) edition of 24 May 2010 was fully aimed on the fight of Marius Kolff (CBCD XVIIIw4) of the Dutch based CAS International to come to a worldwide abolition of bullfighting.
Thanks to the decision of the Catalan Parliament (July 2010) bullfighting has been abolished in Catalonia as per 1 January 2012. Catalonia is one of the most important states of Spain.

Marius: "Whenever I see these images, aspecially those of the fire bull towards the end, I get such an angry feeling, unbeleavable.... Any way I am working to get these cruelties towards animals forbidden forever."

Stichting (Foundation) Cornelis Geertruyus Kolff

The Stichting (Foundation) Cornelis Geertruyus Kolff has been set up to safeguard family
items such as paintings, glassware, porcelain, artifacts, and other valuable
family items. Often members of the family have such valuable items that
they do not really want to keep for themselves. Or they don't have the possibility to keep them in their homes. Items that hold a certain
value for the Family as a whole. These items can be placed into this foundation.
The foundation will become the owner of the items, but you can either keep them at your home, or the foundation places them with
other family members. They are then 'on loan' to that family member.
For more information
on this foundation contact the Archivist.